I was elected to the office of 1st Vice President of PANO in November of 2021, while I was a lieutenant in the Seventh District.  I remained in that position until I retired.

Ever since I joined the department I have been a member of PANO.  The organization has changed QUITE a bit since then.  In the 90's we would meet at a hotel, I think the Fountainbleu Hotel on Tulane Avenue.  It was pretty much closed by then but still functioned minimally.  

Those meetings were WILD.  Once an officer pulled out her gun and waved it in the air she was so overtaken with emotion during a discussion.  PANO discussions always brought out the Jimmy Hoffa in everyone.  We wanted what we wanted, and we wanted it NOW.

I can't remember when, but it was in the 90's, I ran for office and had these mailers made.

There were three of us running:  Me, Ricky Hunter and Mike "Bucky" Bosetta.  You can't beat a guy with a nickname like that.  Ricky and I lost happily.

This time when I won, I ran unopposed.  This is because by this time, PANO was not as popular as it had been.  Hardly anyone went to meetings even though we were still literally making headlines and causing major change within the department for the betterment of the membership - and the non-members as well.  (PANO is responsible for the successful conclusion to the COMMANDERS vs CAPTAINS issue documented on another page.)

FOP (the Fraternal Order of Police) is a national organization with state lodges and individual lodges.  Ours is the Crescent City Lodge.   I was always a member of both but never went to FOP meetings as they were traditionally for the retired membership.  Later on I started going as more and more active members began going, and the focus shifted SOMEWHAT to matters important to active members.  

Still, nothing beat the raw no-frills approach of PANO.  If you want the real deal, go with the big boys.  For many important matters, FOP tended to go along to get along with the administration.  PANO isn't like that at all.

Once in a while the 3 groups would team up.  (PANO, FOP and BOP, the Black Organization of Police)  I was a member of all three.  Below here we are in a City Council meeting protesting something.

Over the years there have been huge personalities in charge of PANO.  When I started it was Ron Cannatella.  He looked like a union rep.  I worked for his brother, Tony Cannatella, in the 6th District when Katrina hit.  

When I was retiring, Mike Glasser was president and Raymond Burkhart was also a board member.  Those two guys were - dare I say - feared by the Public Integrity Unit members.  Both wicked smart and experienced, there was no way to win an argument with either of them.  One a captain, and the other a major, neither were worried about any repercussions.  Also, both have around 45-50 years of experience.  I don't want to be on the opposite side of an issue from either one.

This is what I tell the recruits when we would go talk to them and try to get them to join.  Join FOB if you want; you'll probably get a stuffed animal and a pocked knife and pen set.  But when you go to make a statement to PIB, and you bring a PANO representative, you are in very good hands.

Our legal counsel was Eric Hessler.  Not only is he also wicked smart (and hilarious) he was an attorney and a former sergeant with NOPD.  If some investigator was raising his voice to an officer or to Eric, Eric was raising his louder.  I actually worked for Eric on Bourbon Street back in the 90's, documented in the 8th District page.